Fairfield Ludlowe falls short in Class LL girls volleyball semis

Pat Pickens

Updated 11:57 pm, Thursday, November 15, 2012

Joel Barlow high school's Hannah Goetz goes up to block the ball in a CIAC class L semifinal girls volleyball tournament game against East Lyme high school played at Shelton high school, Shelton, CT on Thursday November 15th, 2012
Photo: Mark Conrad

Joel Barlow high school's Hannah Goetz goes up to block the ball in...

Joel Barlow high school's Sarah McAniff returns a serve in a CIAC class L semifinal girls volleyball tournament game against East Lyme high school played at Shelton high school, Shelton, CT on Thursday November 15th, 2012
Photo: Mark Conrad

Joel Barlow high school's Sarah McAniff returns a serve in a CIAC...

Joel Barlow high school's Allie Grimes dives for the ball in a CIAC class L semifinal girls volleyball tournament game against East Lyme high school played at Shelton high school, Shelton, CT on Thursday November 15th, 2012
Photo: Mark Conrad

Joel Barlow high school's Allie Grimes dives for the ball in a CIAC...

East Lyme high school's Jenna Schumacher and Kara Seitz go up to block the ball at the net in a CIAC class L semifinal girls volleyball tournament game against Joel Barlow high school played at Shelton high school, Shelton, CT on Thursday November 15th, 2012
Photo: Mark Conrad

East Lyme high school's Jenna Schumacher and Kara Seitz go up to...

Joel Barlow high school's Allie Grimes sets up the ball in a CIAC class L semifinal girls volleyball tournament game against East Lyme high school played at Shelton high school, Shelton, CT on Thursday November 15th, 2012
Photo: Mark Conrad

Joel Barlow high school's Allie Grimes sets up the ball in a CIAC...

Joel Barlow high school's Sarah McAniff celebrates a point in a CIAC class L semifinal girls volleyball tournament game against East Lyme high school played at Shelton high school, Shelton, CT on Thursday November 15th, 2012
Photo: Mark Conrad

Joel Barlow high school's Sarah McAniff celebrates a point in a...

Joel Barlow high school's Andrianna Papadimitriou returns a serve in a CIAC class L semifinal girls volleyball tournament game against East Lyme high school played at Shelton high school, Shelton, CT on Thursday November 15th, 2012
Photo: Mark Conrad

Joel Barlow high school's Andrianna Papadimitriou returns a serve...

Joel Barlow high school's Victoria Shea goes up for the ball at the net in a CIAC class L semifinal girls volleyball tournament game against East Lyme high school played at Shelton high school, Shelton, CT on Thursday November 15th, 2012
Photo: Mark Conrad

Joel Barlow high school's Victoria Shea goes up for the ball at the...

Joel Barlow high school girls volleyball head coach Steve Antal speaks to his team between games during a CIAC class L semifinal girls volleyball tournament game against East Lyme high school played at Shelton high school, Shelton, CT on Thursday November 15th, 2012
Photo: Mark Conrad

Joel Barlow high school girls volleyball head coach Steve Antal...

Joel Barlow high school's Sarah McAniff playing up at the net in a CIAC class L semifinal girls volleyball tournament game against East Lyme high school played at Shelton high school, Shelton, CT on Thursday November 15th, 2012
Photo: Mark Conrad

Joel Barlow high school's Sarah McAniff playing up at the net in a...

East Lyme high school vs Joel Barlow high school in a CIAC class L semifinal girls volleyball tournament game played at Shelton high school, Shelton, CT on Thursday November 15th, 2012
Photo: Mark Conrad

East Lyme high school vs Joel Barlow high school in a CIAC class L...

East Lyme high school vs Joel Barlow high school in a CIAC class L semifinal girls volleyball tournament game played at Shelton high school, Shelton, CT on Thursday November 15th, 2012
Photo: Mark Conrad

East Lyme high school vs Joel Barlow high school in a CIAC class L...

East Lyme high school vs Joel Barlow high school in a CIAC class L semifinal girls volleyball tournament game played at Shelton high school, Shelton, CT on Thursday November 15th, 2012
Photo: Mark Conrad

East Lyme high school vs Joel Barlow high school in a CIAC class L...

East Lyme high school vs Joel Barlow high school in a CIAC class L semifinal girls volleyball tournament game played at Shelton high school, Shelton, CT on Thursday November 15th, 2012
Photo: Mark Conrad

East Lyme high school vs Joel Barlow high school in a CIAC class L...

East Lyme high school vs Joel Barlow high school in a CIAC class L semifinal girls volleyball tournament game played at Shelton high school, Shelton, CT on Thursday November 15th, 2012
Photo: Mark Conrad

East Lyme high school vs Joel Barlow high school in a CIAC class L...

East Lyme high school vs Joel Barlow high school in a CIAC class L semifinal girls volleyball tournament game played at Shelton high school, Shelton, CT on Thursday November 15th, 2012
Photo: Mark Conrad

East Lyme high school vs Joel Barlow high school in a CIAC class L...

East Lyme high school vs Joel Barlow high school in a CIAC class L semifinal girls volleyball tournament game played at Shelton high school, Shelton, CT on Thursday November 15th, 2012
Photo: Mark Conrad

MILFORD -- Although it had reached the Class LL semifinals each of the past two years, the Cheshire girls volleyball team hadn't won or even qualified for the state championship match since 2007.

And trailing 13-10 in Game 5 of its state semifinal against Fairfield Ludlowe Thursday, it appeared as if the Rams' state run would end in the semis again.

Yet, as it had all night, Cheshire dug deep and stole victory from the jaws of defeat.

The second-seeded Rams won the game's final five points, as they stunned the third-seeded Falcons 3-2 (25-18, 23-25, 25-20, 16-25, 15-13) at Foran.

"It was a great match, Ludlowe's a great team," Cheshire coach Sue Bavone said. "It's a game of errors ... and I think we might've won the errors."

Cheshire (22-1) advances to the Class LL state final where it will play Darien on Saturday at 7 p.m. in East Haven. The Rams had been eliminated 3-0 in consecutive years in the class LL semis in 2010 and 2011, falling each time to the eventual state champion.

"Finally," Bavone said. "We've been to the semifinals three years in a row, and we kept saying that maybe the third time was the charm."

"It was an amazing year, I'm so proud of these girls," Ludlowe coach Meghan Skelton said. "There were just moments where we wavered that killed us."

After it handily won Game 4 (25-16), Ludlowe took control early in the deciding fifth game. Rotondo had seven assists in the fifth game, four of which came on Nelson's kills, as the Falcons built a 13-10 lead -- leaving them just two points from their third state final in four years.

But Jill Howard's kill regained Cheshire's serve and the Rams took advantage of four straight Ludlowe mistakes, including a shot out at 13-13. After a valiant rally, the Falcons failed to get the ball over the net on match point, sending Cheshire to the final.

"I think we got a little tentative towards the end," Skelton said. "Unfortunately we let our confidence waver and they're a great team. You can't do that against a great team."

The Rams' size, keyed by seniors Amanda Palladino and Lisa Walle, proved problematic for Ludlowe -- especially in Game 1, which Cheshire won 25-18. Palladino led the Rams with 18 kills and a whopping 12 blocks. Ludlowe also shot itself in the foot, recording seven service errors in the first two games, including back-to-back foot faults in Game 1.

"That was a critical error on our part," Skelton said. "If we had gone out and made half the serves we missed, it would've been a different story, I think."

But Ludlowe rallied from 22-17 down in Game 2 to draw even at 23. Casey Boatwright's kill and Nelson's ace gave the Falcons the game 25-23.